Heney s



(No Model.)

H. S. PARMELEE.

PIANO SOUNDING BOARD.

No. 301,068. Patented June 24,1884. v 1. Fig: 2-

F, W WWW/[Z1 a,

W INZEEEE: IN VEN TU Ihvrrnn seam Pa'rnrsr @rrres.

HENRY S. PARMELEE, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE MATHUSHEKPIANO MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

PIANO SQUNDING-BOARD SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.301,068, dated June 24, 188%.

Application filed February 2], 1883. (No model.)

sounding-board the mass of which shall be of uniform density, while thedisposition of the wood-grain shall be such as to increase the degreeand improve the character of the sonorousness of such board.

, My invention consists in. an improved method of preparing thesounding-board from the stock after cutting from the logs; and it alsoconsists in the peculiar and novel construction of the sounding-board,as hereinafter described and claimed.

In order that my invention may be fully uir derstood, I will proceed todescribe it with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figurel is a cross-section of a log, showing the ordinary manner of cuttingthe stock for 3Q sounding-boards. Fig. 2 is a similar view of a log,showing my improved manner of cutting the stock. Fig. 3 is aview of thestock set up in readiness to be cut into sounding-boards. Fig. 4 is aperspective view of a portion of a sounding board constructed inaccordance with my invention.

In Fig. 1 the spaces a a represent the stock as it is cut from the logby the former method, it being seen that the lines of the cuts extend 4oobliquely from a line drawn diametrically through the heart of the log.Stock cut in this way possesses two essential conditions requisite insounding-board stockviz., the radial grain d of the log passesapproximately 5 through the width of the stock, while the annular grainc of the log passes approximately through the thickness of the stock.All things being equal, this stock is in proper form to be made intosounding-boards, because the disposition of the radial and annular grainof the wood relative to the width and thickness, re-

spectively, of the stock is such as to afford the most sensitiveness tosound-vibrations and the highest deg-rec of transmission of the samethroughout the mass of the board; but sound- 5 5 ing-boards constructedfrom stock thus cut fail both in sensitiveness and in power oftransmission, because, while the wood-grains of the stock are properlydisposed, the stock is not of uniform density, inasmuch as that side ofthe stock which was near the heart of the log is of greater density thanthe opposite side, which was near the bark.

Now, by the first step in my improved method, I so cut the stock that itshall be of substantially uniform density and practically of perfectuniformity in this respect. I accomplish this result by cutting thestock in lines not obliquely to the diameter of the log, as heretofore,but parallel to it, as shown in Fig. 2. In this figure, a a designatethe stock out in accordance with my improved method; but from aninspection of Fig. 2 it will be seen that, while I thus secure theutmost uniformity in density, I do not have the annular and radialwood-grains properly disposed, respectively, relative to the depth andwidth of the stock.

Before proceeding to describe the second step of my method, whereby Ibring the woodgrains into proper disposition, I will mention certainimportant iuci dental advantages which result from my method. Thatportion of the log which I use for sounding-board stock is'the portionwhich is ordinarily wasted in squaring the log in sawing lumber. At thesame time by the improved method the log is squared by the cuttingoperation. By the former method of cutting, the portion of the log notused for sounding-board stock was worthless waste, and hence the cost ofthe stock was the cost of the entire 1og,which greatlyincreased theexpensiveness of the stock. Furthermore,

are united by glue. The block thus formed is now out across thedirection of the sides, so that the sides become the edges of thesounding-board sections,and the radial and annular wood-grains, whichpreviously extended respectively through the thickness and width of thestoclgnow extend approximately through the width and thickness thereof,respectively.

In placing the stock at the stage represented in Fig. 3 the portions ofthe stock which were near theheart ofthelog and thcportions which werenear the bark may be disposed promiscuously with relation to each other,and a very superior sounding-board will be produced, owing to thequality of the stock; but in order to make the most perfectsounding-boards the stock should be so arranged at the stagerepresentedin Fig. 3 that after subsequent cutting the part of eachstrip which was near the heart oi'the 10;; shall be contiguous to thepart ofthe adjoining strip which was near the bark, as illustrated inFig. it. I preferably cut two slabs from each square, thus obtainingeight slabs from each leg, and the slabs are prei crably not less thanone inch nor more than two inches in thickness.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. The improved methodherein described for making sounding-boards, consistingin first cuttingthe stock from the log in lines parallel with the diameter of said log,then uniting the pieces of stock thus out side by side with glue, andthen cutting said stock transversely to the lines of union whereby asoundingboard is produced. the sections of which are of uniform density,and in. which the annular wood-grain extends approximately through thethickness of the sections while the radial woodgrain extendsapproximately through the width of said sections, for the purposesdescribed.

wood-grains extending, respectively, approximately through their widthsand thicknesses, the part of each section which was near the heart ofthe log-being placed contiguous to the part of the next section whichwas near the bark, as and for the purpose described.

'Witnesses:

l1 isnri ii A. Mi 11mm, Ull'AlHTllS L. SWA x, Jr.

